Understanding Beer Attenuation

Beer attenuation is one of those seemingly complicated topics thrown around on the forums.  It can get confusing for even advanced brewers who don’t use the terms often.  Before we get into the calculations, I believe a few definitions of the terms are in order.

• Extract refers to the total solids contained in a wort (or any fluid).

• Apparent-when you say something is apparent, you are referring to that which is initially obvious through your observations or evidence.  ie. it is what is obvious vs. what is actual.  When you see the word “apparent” used in brewing terminology, realize it is only what you are measuring and not necessarily what is actually there.

• Attenuate-means to make thin, to weaken or diminish.

• Attenuation reflects the amount of reduction in wort concentration (by the removal of sugars and production of alcohol and CO² by the yeast) resulting from fermentation. It is typically reported as a percentage. It tells a brewer how much the specific gravity of his beer will drop during fermentation.

• Apparent Attenuation or Apparent Degree of Fermentation (ADF).  When discussing apparent beer attenuation, we are talking about the observed reduction in wort concentration (as measured by SG) and not the actual or real values (due to the imperfect nature of a hydrometer’s readings in a solute containing alcohol).

When using Degrees Plato (°P) or weight percentage it is expressed as 100% x (Starting Extract – Current Extract/Starting Extract). For example, a beer with a wort density of 20°P and a final gravity of 6°P has an ADF = 0.70 or 70%: (20-6) / 20 = 0.7 and 0.7 * 100 = 70%.

For those brewers who prefer to use specific gravities (SG) to measure beer attenuation, since an almost linear relationship between (specific gravity – 1) and extract percentages exists, we can rewrite the formula as such:

Apparent Attenuation (or ADF) = 100% x (Starting Gravity  – Current Gravity) / (Starting Gravity – 1).  As an example, a beer with an OG of 1.050 and a current gravity of 1.010 would have an Apparent Attenuation = 100 x ((0.04/0.05))=0.08 x 100=80%

• Apparent Extract is the direct measurement of the dissolved solids in brewer’s wort normally reported as specific gravity as read on a hydrometer.  A large portion of the dissolved solids in a wort will be removed during fermentation.  The progress of this removal during fermentation can be measured and tracked by its specific gravity readings.  But, since the measurement is of the weight of dissolved solids in the wort as compared to water, and the wort now contains alcohol which is substantially lighter than water, the measurements are related as “apparent” and not real (the final gravity)

• Real Extract will be the actual amount of total solids in a wort corrected for the actual amount of alcohol in the wort. Real extract (RE) is calculated using your specific gravity readings as follows: Real Extract = [0.1886x Original Extract (OG)] + [0.8114 x Apparent Extract (FG)] in degrees Plato (°P).  Click Here for a °Plato to SG conversion chart.

You might be asking yourself why you should care about beer attenuation or ADF. Well, a beer’s degree of fermentability determines many of its final properties after it goes through fermentation. These include the beer’s mouthfeel, body, and alcohol content. A beer that has a very high apparent degree of fermentability (ADF) will end up very dry after fermentation. These beers usually end up lighter in body and mouthfeel than a beer with a lower ADF and they will also have more alcohol (assuming both beers have the same OG).

Factors Affecting Beer Attenuation-ADF

These are the things that affect beer attenuation and the Apparent Degree of Fermentation:

• Mash temperature regime – Lower mash temperatures ie. 148-150°F (64-66° C) yield a more fermentable wort since the beta-amylase enzymes will have a chance to produce more maltose.  Long mashes with multiple rests tend to produce a more fermentable wort with higher beer attenuation.

• Water to grist ratio – thinner mashes enhance the maltose production and thus increase the wort’s fermentability and beer attenuation.

• Mash pH – beta and alpha amylase enzymes each have their own optimal pH ranges, and mash pH can affect the activity balance of the two enzymes, although the effect is only minimal.

• Recipe’s grain bill – more base malt and less specialty grains will yield a more fermentable wort.

• Yeast Strain chosen – some yeast strains just naturally ferment longer and can tolerate higher alcohol levels, such as in high gravity brewing.

• Type of extract – for extract brewers, you will find that different types of extracts have different beer attenuations. Experience with a particular extract will give you an idea of its ADF.  If you can get a malt’s spec sheets you should be able to infer a lot from the data.

• Yeast Health – healthy yeast will ferment cleaner and further and will be able to withstand the toxicity of the ethanol being produced. Pay close attention to nutrients, oxygenation, contamination, number of generations, etc. of your yeast for optimal results.

• Fermentation Temperature – higher fermentation temperatures accelerate the yeast’s metabolism and the rate of fermentation and beer attenuation. There are only a few times when a homebrewer would want to raise the fermentation temperature to increase metabolism. At these temperatures, many unwanted compounds will be produced that just don’t fit many beer styles.

• Yeast Pitching Rate – when more yeast is pitched fermentation will progress quicker. It’s always better to use a pitching calculator and know the correct amount of yeast you should be pitching. Always pitch the proper amount of healthy yeast, oxygenate well, use nutrients when needed, and pay close attention to the other factors and you will always make more a better more consistent beer. Overpitching can lead to reduced yeast growth and less ester production (thus less fruity esters), not to mention the yeasty flavors one gets in the finished beer.

Causes and Solutions of Attenuation Problems

1. Final Grafity Too Low

So what do you do when you find the final gravity is not what your brewing software says it should be? If the final gravity is too low, and all other factors such as fermentation temperature etc. were correct, then you may have mashed at a temperature that was too low and produced a wort that was more fermentable than you needed. If the fermentation is MUCH lower than you expected, and there are unexpected phenolic flavors in the beer, the problem is probably wild yeast contamination. The common sense solution to this problem is better control of your sanitation.

2. Final Gravity Too High

If the final gravity is too high, it could indicate that you mashed at too high a temperature which produced more long chain unfermentable sugars. Beta-amylase which produces most of the simple sugars in a mash gets denatured quickly at temperatures greater than 158° F (70° C). Calibrate your brewing thermometer frequently with ice water and boiling water. If you are high on the strike temperature, don’t let it go thinking that it will come into range as it cools. By that time most of the beta amylase will be denatured and you will end up with a very viscous overly sweet beer.